The Worldhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world
International affairs blog from the Financial TimesTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:20:19 +0000enhourly1Live: Netanyahu’s speech to Congresshttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2015-03-03/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2015-03-03/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 15:16:42 +0000Mark Odellhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?post_type=webchat-live-blogs&p=352865<p><img src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/03/MAS_Netanyahu_20150302223347.jpg" /></p>
<p>Benjamin Netanyahu is making his third appearance before a joint meeting of the US Congress on Tuesday morning in Washington.</p>
<p> In what is set to be a very controversial speech, he is expected to highlight what the Israeli leader insists are the risks of a nuclear deal with Iran </p>
<p>By Mark Odell and Sam Jones, Defence and Security Editor, and Siona Jenkins, Middle East and Africa news editor</p>
<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2015-03-03/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/3DufO71pn5Q" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/liveblogs/2015-03-03/feed/0Netanyahu plays Churchill in Washingtonhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/netanyahu-plays-churchill-in-washington/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/netanyahu-plays-churchill-in-washington/#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:07:37 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352854<p><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/03/MAS_Netanyahu_AP.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352858" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/03/MAS_Netanyahu_AP-272x153.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="153" /></a></span>When Benjamin Netanyahu rises to speak in Congress later on Tuesday he will become the first foreign leader since Winston Churchill to speak before Congress three times. John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House, apparently intends to mark the occasion by <a href=".washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/2/john-boehner-give-benjamin-netanyahu-bust-winston-/">presenting the Israeli prime minister, with a bust of Churchill.</a></p>
<p>Mr Netanyahu is probably vain enough to think that the comparison is appropriate. The Israeli prime minister believes that, like Churchill in the 1930s, he is a voice in the wilderness warning a complacent world against a &#8220;gathering storm&#8221; &#8211; in this case, an ambitious Iran that is intent on acquiring nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>But all politicians should be wary of comparing themselves with Churchill. George W Bush was also presented with a bust of Churchill, by the British government, which he kept in the Oval Office during the Iraq war. That didn&#8217;t work out too well. Beyond the threat of vainglorious self-delusion, the Netanyahu-Churchill comparison is dangerous for the Israeli leader himself, for a couple of reasons.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/netanyahu-plays-churchill-in-washington/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/qSdXtPYM_Q4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/netanyahu-plays-churchill-in-washington/feed/0FT column: Vladimir Putin’s survival strategy is lies and violencehttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1d3e1d64-c0d6-11e4-876d-00144feab7de.html
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/ft-column-vladimir-putins-survival-strategy-is-lies-and-violence/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 23:12:17 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352850<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/ft-column-vladimir-putins-survival-strategy-is-lies-and-violence/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/u91lN1dfYWM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/ft-column-vladimir-putins-survival-strategy-is-lies-and-violence/feed/0Smart Reads 2 March 2015http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/smart-reads-2-march-2015/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/smart-reads-2-march-2015/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 14:31:02 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352844<p>Despite a collective show of mourning for the assassinated opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0ff37556-c03a-11e4-a71e-00144feab7de.html#axzz3TDkNISc1">prospects for Russia&#8217;s anti-Putin movement remain bleak</a></p>
<p>In one of his <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e288978c-c024-11e4-a71e-00144feab7de.html#slide0">last interviews days before he was murdered, Boris Nemtsov</a> told the FT that Russia had become a &#8220;country of war, of humiliated, hypnotised people&#8221; and that Putin had &#8220;brought Nazism into politics&#8221;</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9545f01c-be78-11e4-8036-00144feab7de.html#axzz3TDkNISc1">egregious anomaly of the non-dom status</a>, where the wealthiest enjoy the privilege of UK residency without paying their fair dues to the exchequer, should be scrapped, says the FT</p>
<p>Anatomy of a Killing: How Shaimaa al-Sabbagh Was Shot Dead at a Cairo Protest <a href="https://news.vice.com/article/anatomy-of-a-killing-how-shaimaa-al-sabbagh-was-shot-dead-at-a-cairo-protest">(Vice News)</a></p>
<p>‘Jihadi John’: a graduate of my radical London university, a place where extremism can fester and Islamist views were prevalent <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/indian-tribes-gambling-on-high-interest-loans-to-raiserevenue/2015/03/01/8551642d-e51b-4d3a-89c6-4de0d3bdf385_story.html">(Washington Post)</a></p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/smart-reads-2-march-2015/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/8x78uLY946A" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/smart-reads-2-march-2015/feed/0Israel cannot gain Sunni allies through fear of Iran alonehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/israel-cannot-gain-sunni-allies-through-fear-of-iran-alone/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/israel-cannot-gain-sunni-allies-through-fear-of-iran-alone/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 03:43:41 +0000David Gardnerhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352833<p><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/03/300_Benjamin-Netanyahu.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352834" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/03/300_Benjamin-Netanyahu-272x181.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="181" /></a></span>Just as talks between <a title="Iran news headlines - FT.com" href="http://www.ft.com/intl/world/mideast/iran">Iran</a> and world powers to nail down a deal restricting Tehran’s nuclear programme enter a decisive phase, the Islamic Republic last week put on a show. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) placed a mock-up of a US aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf, and then blew it out of the water. For the IRGC, praetorian guard of the Shia theocracy, it would not do to show flabby muscle tone at this juncture, to the US or its Gulf Arab neighbours.</p> <p>In Washington, meanwhile, another form of triumphalism is on display. Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, is tomorrow due to <a title="John Kerry defends Iran diplomacy as Israeli PM heads for US - FT.com" href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/8e402f42-c032-11e4-9708-00144feab7de.html#axzz3TBpIBaq1">address the US Congress</a> – at the invitation of its <a title="Richard Haass: Bibi, Barack, Boehner and the bomb - The Exchange - FT.com" href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-exchange/2015/02/23/bibi-barack-boehner-and-the-bomb/">Republican leadership</a> – and is expected to say that the nuclear deal under discussion amounts to capitulation to Iran and will allow it to build an atomic bomb. As well as a brazen electoral stunt before Israel goes to the polls on March 17, this is a calculated snub to President Barack Obama. Mr Netanyahu is flaunting his ability to go around the White House to Congress, where ordinarily he enjoys the near unanimous support he could only dream of in the Knesset at home.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/israel-cannot-gain-sunni-allies-through-fear-of-iran-alone/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/Z0scMDZA0p4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/03/israel-cannot-gain-sunni-allies-through-fear-of-iran-alone/feed/0Greece: in search of the perfect job markethttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/greece-in-search-of-the-perfect-job-market/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/greece-in-search-of-the-perfect-job-market/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 07:15:19 +0000Alan Beattiehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352802<p dir="ltr"><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_pworld_catflap_20150215160834.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352820" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_pworld_catflap_20150215160834-272x153.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="153" /></a></span>The stable of fictitious beasts from Greek mythology acquired a new inmate this week, unveiled in the <a href="http://ftalphaville.ft.com/2015/02/24/2120049/dear-eurogroup/" target="_blank">letter from the Syriza government</a> proposing <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b60be34-bc38-11e4-b6ec-00144feab7de.html#axzz3SaZfgPB0" target="_blank">economic reforms</a> to keep the country&#8217;s bailout going. Yanis Varoufakis, the finance minister, has bravely set off in search of that wondrous creature: “EU best practice across the range of labour market legislation”.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/greece-in-search-of-the-perfect-job-market/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/tsJ8TNGcJWs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/greece-in-search-of-the-perfect-job-market/feed/0FT podcast: World Weekly with Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-143/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-143/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 23:04:27 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352824<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-143/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/yLfN99AqpmA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-143/feed/0Five dangerous weeks for Nigeriahttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/five-dangerous-weeks-for-nigeria/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/five-dangerous-weeks-for-nigeria/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 08:57:08 +0000William Wallishttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352774<p>The postponement of <a title="Nigeria: Power struggle - FT.com" href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4cc95952-b21e-11e4-80af-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk">Nigeria’s presidential elections </a>on security grounds has flushed into the open scenarios reminiscent of the dark days when the country&#8217;s democratic aspirations were stifled by a military cabal. The polls will take place against a backdrop of regional and ethnic tensions, with the ruling Peoples Democratic party up against a well organised opposition. A free and fair vote could lead to the country’s first constitutional transfer of power, an event that, if handled peacefully, would not only further Nigeria’s political evolution, but provide a fillip to democracy across the continent.</p> <p>If, on the other hand, the constitutional process is disrupted at the first sign of a real political contest since the restoration of civilian rule in 1999, it would set back democratic progress by years and potentially trigger chaos, civil society groups and prominent leaders including former president <a title="Obasanjo raises alarm about Nigeria poll delay - FT.com" href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3c171960-b07e-11e4-9b8e-00144feab7de.html">Olusegun Obasanjo</a> warn. Amid the uncertainty, several possible scenarios are emerging.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/five-dangerous-weeks-for-nigeria/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/sAlJmTZRF50" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/five-dangerous-weeks-for-nigeria/feed/0For a fallen superpower, neglect is worse than dislikehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/for-a-fallen-superpower-neglect-is-worse-than-dislike/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/for-a-fallen-superpower-neglect-is-worse-than-dislike/#commentsTue, 24 Feb 2015 10:13:05 +0000Tony Barberhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352770<p><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/New-story-of-MAS_PB3960678@Russia_s-Presiden_20140527111044.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352771" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/New-story-of-MAS_PB3960678@Russia_s-Presiden_20140527111044-272x153.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="153" /></a></span>A useful report on EU-Russian relations was published last week by the <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldselect/ldeucom/115/11502.htm">EU committee of Britain’s House of Lords</a>, the upper house of parliament.</p>
<p>The report shows how London and other EU capitals badly misjudged Russian intentions last year, before the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4b2d8c42-9c9b-11e3-b535-00144feab7de.html?siteedition=uk">February revolution in Kiev</a>, President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula and the Kremlin’s armed intervention in eastern Ukraine. In particular, the way that the British government allowed expert knowledge and experience of Russia to waste away in the UK foreign office after the Soviet Union’s demise is indefensible.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/for-a-fallen-superpower-neglect-is-worse-than-dislike/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/I1OiOxb6yOk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/for-a-fallen-superpower-neglect-is-worse-than-dislike/feed/0FT column: A Greek deal cannot fix the flaws in the eurohttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/811a8778-bb45-11e4-b95c-00144feab7de.html
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-a-greek-deal-cannot-fix-the-flaws-in-the-euro/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 22:59:55 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352767<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-a-greek-deal-cannot-fix-the-flaws-in-the-euro/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/rQehjBK9bZY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-a-greek-deal-cannot-fix-the-flaws-in-the-euro/feed/0Smart Reads 23 February 2015http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-23-february-2015/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-23-february-2015/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2015 12:24:33 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352758<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b8dbf84-b8e1-11e4-a8d0-00144feab7de.html#axzz3SZGNHK9T">Nigeria&#8217;s president Goodluck Jonathan</a> has insisted that rescheduled polls, delayed on security grounds, will go ahead on time and that they will be free and fair</li>
<li>Hungary&#8217;s contentious deal to award up to <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3910c846-b908-11e4-b8e6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3SZGNHK9T">€12bn in nuclear contracts to a Russian state-owed company </a>is under threat from European regulators who have the power to block it</li>
<li>In recent years it has become a revel without a cause. But at <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/583d09f8-bb44-11e4-b95c-00144feab7de.html#axzz3SZGNHK9T">last night&#8217;s Oscars ceremony</a> winners dedicated their statuettes to sufferers of Alzheimers to immigrant amnesty and female equal rights</li>
<li>It’s time to kick Germany out of the Eurozone, argues Patrick Chovanec in <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/20/its-time-to-kick-germany-out-of-the-eurozone/">Foreign Policy</a></li>
<li>The port city of Aden seethes with separatist fervour and sedition as Yemen lurches toward civil war and possible disintegration <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-yemen-aden-20150223-story.html#page=1">(LA Times)</a></li></ul><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-23-february-2015/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/L1eGzod_xug" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-23-february-2015/feed/0New Greek president disappoints Syriza’s far lefthttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/new-greek-president-disappoints-syrizas-far-left/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/new-greek-president-disappoints-syrizas-far-left/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 15:54:01 +0000Kerin Hopehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352679<p><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_pworld_Prokopis-Pavlopou_20150219154237.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352680" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_pworld_Prokopis-Pavlopou_20150219154237-272x153.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="153" /></a></span>The election by parliament of Prokopis Pavlopoulos, a centre-right former cabinet minister, as Greece’s new president on Wednesday night has sparked criticism from members of the governing Syriza party’s far-left faction who wanted to see an “anti-austerity” politician in the largely ceremonial post of head of state.</p>
<p>Puzzled <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/32caae92-ae19-11e4-8188-00144feab7de.html">Syriza voters </a>wondered how Mr Pavlopoulos could have been adopted as the candidate of a government that wants to get rid of outdated political practices, given his track record while in office.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/new-greek-president-disappoints-syrizas-far-left/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/rdd8-itKBO4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/new-greek-president-disappoints-syrizas-far-left/feed/0FT podcast: World Weekly with Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-142/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-142/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 23:08:23 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352674<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-142/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/7fcGlHuXWmU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-podcast-world-weekly-with-gideon-rachman-142/feed/0Putin and his many palshttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/putin-and-his-many-pals/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/putin-and-his-many-pals/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 09:55:26 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352641<div id="attachment_352659" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 600px"><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/463687586.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-352659" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/463687586-590x419.jpg" alt="" width="590" height="419" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text" data-img-id="352659">Vladimir Putin with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban</p></div>
<p>In the West, <a title="Vladimir Putin - FT.com" href="http://www.ft.com/intl/topics/people/Vladimir_Putin">Vladimir Putin</a> is often viewed as something of an international pariah. Shift your perspective, however, and it is quite striking how many international friends, the Russian president has cultivated.</p>
<p>Mr Putin, who enjoys posing bare-chested, is particularly good at making friends with other &#8220;strongmen&#8221;. His roster of special friends include Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the president of Egypt, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa. This week, Mr Putin has also been demonstrating that he is capable of finding pals even inside the &#8220;enemy camp&#8221; &#8211; the European Union. The EU may have imposed sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, but that has not stopped <a href="http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/fc6c4590-b674-11e4-a5f2-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RqAHiVoC">Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary</a> &#8211; and another self-styled strongman &#8211; from rolling out the red carpet for Mr Putin.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/putin-and-his-many-pals/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/7vZP6HgJYqI" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/putin-and-his-many-pals/feed/0Hong Kong’s ‘wolf’ seeks more obedient flockhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/hong-kongs-wolf-seeks-more-obedient-flock/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/hong-kongs-wolf-seeks-more-obedient-flock/#commentsWed, 18 Feb 2015 09:46:15 +0000Josh Noblehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352647<p>During Hong Kong&#8217;s pro-democracy protests last year, chief executive CY Leung found himself the subject of many <a title="Embattled Hong Kong leader risks being seen as damaged goods - FT" href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c6d25548-4d72-11e4-bf60-00144feab7de.html" target="_blank">unflattering comparisons</a> &#8211; from a vampire to Pinocchio to Adolf Hitler.</p> <p>But his best-known alter ego is as &#8220;the wolf&#8221;. And now he&#8217;s seeking a more sheep-like population to govern.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/hong-kongs-wolf-seeks-more-obedient-flock/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/hKQ--FfPzo4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/hong-kongs-wolf-seeks-more-obedient-flock/feed/0Smart Reads 17 February 2015http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-17-february-2015/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-17-february-2015/#commentsTue, 17 Feb 2015 14:05:15 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352637<p>The <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/74a3a3cc-b5f9-11e4-b58d-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RturtW7z">scenes of chaos during President Jacob Zuma&#8217;s speech</a> at the opening of South Africa&#8217;s parliament last week will be remembered as one of the darkest days of the post-apartheid era</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/895bc3de-b5a5-11e4-b58d-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RturtW7z">Visitors from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong are known as &#8220;locusts&#8221;</a> and now a long-simmering resentment at their presence in the territory is boiling over into angry protests</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/895bc3de-b5a5-11e4-b58d-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RturtW7z">Greece must impose capital controls</a> or repeat the costly mistake of Cyprus, where emergency funding from the ECB was spirited out of the country, argues Hans-Werner Sinn</p>
<p>What Isis Really Wants: The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. Here&#8217;s what its beliefs means for its strategy &#8211; and how to stop it <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/">(The Atlantic)</a></p>
<p>Washington&#8217;s uneasy partnership with Tehran now extends to Yemen <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/13/dance-step-warfare-with-the-iranians/">(Foreign Policy)</a></p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-17-february-2015/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/GCa4vj2NQwk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-17-february-2015/feed/0FT column: Russian hearts, minds and refrigeratorshttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f30d3520-b5cc-11e4-b58d-00144feab7de.html
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-russian-hearts-minds-and-refrigerators/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 23:21:16 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352633<p><em>By Gideon Rachman</em></p> <p><em></em>A friend of mine from Moscow has a nice way of describing how her fellow citizens view the war in Ukraine. She calls it a “contest between the television and the refrigerator”. The television stirs Russian spirits with a story about a great patriotic struggle against a “fascist” Ukraine and a scheming west. But the refrigerator lowers the spirits, with its increasingly sparse and costly contents.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-russian-hearts-minds-and-refrigerators/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/B6hIcL9mL9g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/ft-column-russian-hearts-minds-and-refrigerators/feed/0Smart Reads 16 February 2015http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-16-february-2015/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-16-february-2015/#commentsMon, 16 Feb 2015 13:43:35 +0000FThttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352630<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1aa2aada-b38d-11e4-9449-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RturtW7z">Ten years after the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister Rafiq Hariri</a> sparked the Cedar Revolution that ended the Syrian occupation of the country, five developments stand out</li>
<li>The market for <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d31fe990-b2a4-11e4-b234-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RturtW7z">corporate debt from emerging markets</a> has seen explosive growth as investors sought higher yields. But amid slowing growth in China, Brazil and other countries, some see signs of distress</li>
<li>Greece’s new finance minister <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b340146-b20e-11e4-b380-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RWjMD74w">Yanis Varoufakis is an expert in the economic field of game theory</a>. Can he turn his theoretical insights into a winning negotiating strategy to cut Greece&#8217;s debt mountain?</li>
<li>From cold war to hot war: Russia’s aggression in Ukraine is part of a broader, and more dangerous, confrontation with the west <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21643220-russias-aggression-ukraine-part-broader-and-more-dangerous-confrontation">(The Economist)</a></li>
<li>Shia militias backed by Iran, with an estimated 100,000 armed men, are eclipsing the depleted and demoralised Iraqi army to take the lead in the fight against the Islamic State <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraqs-pro-iranian-shiite-militias-lead-the-war-against-the-islamic-state/2015/02/15/5bbb1cf0-ac94-11e4-8876-460b1144cbc1_story.html?tid=pm_world_pop">(Washington Post)</a></li>
</ul>
<a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-16-february-2015/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/fvruEnuLWww" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-16-february-2015/feed/0Smart Reads 12 February 2015http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-12-february-2015/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-12-february-2015/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 15:06:37 +0000Michael Poolerhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352607<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a140a1e6-b14e-11e4-a830-00144feab7de.html#slide0">A drought in Brazil</a>, which depends on hydropower for 70 per cent of its electricity, is sparking fears of water rationing and energy shortages that could hit economic growth</li>
<li>As public deficits rise, pressure to cut costly subsidies on fuel and other products is growing in developing economies. <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b57011ba-b095-11e4-92b6-00144feab7de.html#axzz3RWjMD74w">Morocco has shown other countries how the reform can work </a></li>
<li>He is close to Vladimir Putin and has described the European Union as the modern heir to the Third Reich – so why is Viktor Medvedchuk negotiating on behalf of Ukraine in peace talks? <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/world/europe/friend-of-putin-assumes-role-of-negotiator-in-ukrainian-conflict.html?_r=0">(NYT)</a></li>
<li>As China moves into the third year of its anti-corruption campaign, experts are worried that without the grease of bribes, projects are stagnating and the economy is taking a hit <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/without-corruption-some-ask-can-the-chinese-communist-party-function/2015/02/10/c69693e8-b12f-11e4-bf39-5560f3918d4b_story.html">(Washington Post)</a></li>
<li>Grow vegetables extensively! North Korea has unveiled a list of 310 new political slogans covering every conceivable topic <a href="http://www.afp.com/en/news/improve-everything-n-korea-unveils-new-slogans">(Agence France-Presse)</a><br />
</li></ul><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-12-february-2015/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/6J-KkwpcosE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/smart-reads-12-february-2015/feed/0After Minsk – why the ‘arms to Ukraine’ debate will continuehttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/after-minsk-why-the-arms-to-ukraine-debate-will-continue/
http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/after-minsk-why-the-arms-to-ukraine-debate-will-continue/#commentsThu, 12 Feb 2015 13:08:17 +0000Gideon Rachmanhttp://blogs.ft.com/the-world/?p=352578<p><span><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_XU5834892@REUTERS-PICTURE-H_20150212081540.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-352620" src="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/files/2015/02/MAS_XU5834892@REUTERS-PICTURE-H_20150212081540-272x153.jpg" alt="" width="272" height="153" /></a></span>If the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/041fc84e-b287-11e4-b234-00144feab7de.html">Minsk II agreement</a> reached between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany can secure a ceasefire and save a few lives, then it is probably a good thing. But you would have to be fairly naive to believe that is the end of the matter.</p>
<p>Over the past year, President Putin has shown that he is a master of turning military pressure on and off to keep the Ukrainians and the west on the hop. And there are a couple of other reasons for suspecting that the fighting may soon restart.</p>
<p>First, the Russians have not yet achieved even the relatively limited goal of establishing a land corridor between Russia and Crimea. Until they do this, the economic situation in Crimea is likely to be very precarious. Second, while Russia&#8217;s denials that it is behind the fighting in eastern Ukraine are not credible (if so, why are they even negotiating a ceasefire?), it may well be true that Moscow is not in complete control of events. The Ukrainian side may also be unable to control some of the nationalist militias that are fighting in the east of the country.</p><a href="http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/after-minsk-why-the-arms-to-ukraine-debate-will-continue/" class="more-link">Read more</a><img src="//feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ft/the-world/~4/4ueiArTiBIE" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>http://blogs.ft.com/the-world/2015/02/after-minsk-why-the-arms-to-ukraine-debate-will-continue/feed/0